You're My Best Friend: Tom of Finland Vodka

Prior to seeing Bohemian Rhapsody, I would describe my interest in Queen as “robust.”

After? I became freaking obsessed, and specifically, and predictably so, with Freddie Mercury for a thousand reasons I may outline in a forthcoming tome which include but are not limited to the fact that he loved cats.

So, yes my extreme bias toward all things Queen highly influenced this latest pick for The Pandemic Pantry.

Tom of Finland Organic Vodka is so named for the creator of the 1950s gay male iconography that inspired Freddie Mercury, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and others. In return for use of the license and imagery, the vodka manufacturer donates 5% of sales to the Tom of Finland Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving free use of the erotic arts. Cheers to chainmail, and, um, chained males!

Why Tom of Finland Vodka Deserves A Place In Your Pandemic Pantry

This vodka boasts a fresh, clean taste and has a finish that is just as tight and silky as one of Mercury’s form-fitting jumpsuits. It’s pleasant to sip on its own with a slice of lime but also unsurprisingly works terrifically in cocktails (see recipe below).

2020 is a particularly fitting time to indulge in this spirit as Tom of Finland would have celebrated his 100th birthday and this year also marks the 50th anniversary of Queen. I can’t think of a more appropriate gift for LGTBQ friends and allies as well as the die-hard fans of Brit rock.

A vodka tonic was Mercury’s post-prandial beverage of choice (he also enjoyed champagne and Swiss wine), so in accordance to his preference and in honor of his Parsi-Indian heritage, I give you this recipe for a vodka tonic with a twist (but not the olive kind). Because rosewater features prominently in many Parsi beverages and desserts, I have added a sweet floral element to the traditional vodka tonic via the addition of rose-flavored syrup. It’s called Mercury in Prograde because no matter what life challenges he faced, my dear Freddie looked forward, never back.

Ooh, you make me live, now honey!

Mercury in Prograde

• 2 ounces Tom of Finland vodka

• 1/2 ounce Rose syrup (I prefer Ahmed)

• 5 ounces tonic water

• Lime wedge

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, vodka, and rose syrup; shake vigorously. Drop approximately 5-6 ice cubes into highball glass and strain contents of shaker over the ice. Top with tonic water and garnish with lime wedge.

Sip slowly. This drink may become the love of your life.

Georgia On My Mind...And In My Wine Fridge

This past week I have been grateful to Georgias.

Yes, the plural.

First, the state whose voters elected to dump Trump, thus securing Biden an additional 16 electoral votes and (further) paving his path to presidential victory.

Second, the nation whose alarmingly underappreciated wines I have been drinking to mitigate my election anxiety, then celebrate sweet success.

Georgia (hereafter in reference to the country) has been producing wine for approximately 8 thousand years, and I am ashamed to write that I learned that fact roughly 8 weeks ago when I received an announcement regarding the release of some new vintages for export to the United States.

As of 2019, there were 1088 registered wineries in Georgia (many of them family-owned for generations), and 350 were able to ship their products to the United States. My 2021 goal may be to try a bottle from a different winery (almost) every day for the entire year.

And not only have Georgians been producing wine for a long time, they have been making many, many different types of it, thanks to the country’s rich varied topography, which supports 525 species of grapes.

Word on the international street, however, is getting out regarding Georgia’s robust wine culture, and exports to American alone increased by 46% from 2018 to 2019.

When I was initially offered the opportunity to try a few different varieties, I was dubious. Although my interest in food is wide-ranging, my taste in wine is far more limited: I like pinotage, some cabernets, and pretty much any hard California chardonnay I ever met.

Three bottles of Georgian wine later, and I feel like a kid who has ventured for the first time beyond block where she grew up and discovers a whole new neighborhood of undiscovered delights.

Why Georgian Wine Deserves A Place In Your Pandemic Pantry

Because they’re damn good in all sorts of different ways. Let me elaborate.

In dipping my toe, or, my tongue rather, in the world of Georgian wine, I initially didn’t stray far from my comfort zone and first sampled a 2015 Stori Marani Mtsvane, a trim, slightly effervescent white that was aged in a qvevri, a type of terra-cotta clay pot buried underground.

Georgian wine-makers have been utilizing qvevri for thousands of years, but the practice declined during the Soviet era and is only recently being revived. This treatment heightens the complexity of the flavor profile; case in point, when drinking the Mtsvane, I first tasted citrus, followed by a fleeting earthy sweetness, then finally a lovely floral finish. Though game for a second glass, I reserved the remainder to sip while snuggling up with a cheese plate.

Next, I moved on to a 2015 Telavi Old Cellar’s Rkatsiteli, one of the most popular wine grapes grown in Georgia due to its hearty constitution, which renders resistant to drastic temperature changes. Its medium body gave rise to a richer mouthfeel with stronger alcoholic undertones, but I like my white wines large and in charge, so kept drinking. The perfect meal match for the Rkatsiteli would be something equally robust; dare I suggest (other) Georgia-style fried chicken and macaroni and cheese?

Last but not least, I moved on to 2018 Tbilvino Tsinandali, which is produced by blending the aforementioned mtsvane and rkatsiteli varietals. In combination what emerges is a refreshing, pleasantly aggressive fruity wine whose end notes are impeccably smooth. It would make pair wonderfully with seafood dishes, perhaps a shrimp curry or bouillabaisse.

My tasting flight of Georgian wine has me fancying someday enjoying another type of flight, maybe to Tbilisi, so I can embark on a proper viticultural tour. But since for the foreseeable future I won’t be hopping on a plane (or even a midnight train to the other Georgia for that matter), I am grateful I can travel vicariously to this intriguing nation by indulging in its remarkable vino.

Want to stock your pandemic pantry with Georgian wine? See these retailers or buy online.

They Put They Fun In Fungus: Mushroom Cups

True story: I did not have my first whole cup of coffee until graduate school. Yes, I managed to make it through high school and college, including dozens of all-nighters during the latter educational experience without regular jolts of java.

Do not chalk up this “accomplishment” to my possession of super-human energy but rather my immature palate. I just couldn’t stand the taste of coffee, so my preferred caffeinated beverage of choice was hot tea with Splenda, and barring that, Diet Mountain Dew.

See what I mean about immaturity?

In the course of my doctoral studies, one of my colleagues (in utter disbelief of my coffee avoidance) introduced me to some milder blends, and I discovered, “Hey, this stuff isn’t so bad and man it really works!"

Thus began my journey into recreational coffee use.

Recently, I had the opportunity to a most unusual varietal: Mushroom Cups, which, as a the name suggests, are a line of coffees infused with chanterelle mushrooms. What’s the point of fusing Folger’s with fungus? The aforementioned species of mushrooms are high in vitamins D and B, which help convert food into energy and promote the production of serotonin.

Why Mushroom Cups Deserve A Place In Your Pandemic Pantry

Available in four flavors designed with different effects in mind (“Fitness”, “Focus”, “Heal”, “Relax”), Mushroom Cups provide balanced blends devoid of excess acid (which can cause that wretched coffee reflux). Both kinds I tried (the “Fitness” and “Focus”) gave me a boost that waxed and waned gradually—no uncomfortable “spike” followed by a plummet into the despairing depths of fatigue.

The “Fitness” was milder than the “Focus” and neither had any discernible mushroom flavor. This is a good thing because I don’t know about you, but if I want to taste some ‘shrooms, I’ll nosh on a grilled portabella sandwich or add some buttons to my pizza, not sip them from a mug.

Finally, Mushroom Cups require little effort to prepare, perfect for those early mornings or late nights when boiling water is the only “cooking” you can handle.

Forget Flowers: Buy Your Woman Some Whiskey This Valentine's Day

And, specifically Laphroaig.  I have long been a whiskey fan and very loyal to Laphroaig due to its impeccable, consistent quality at a reasonable price point. Since the distillery in charming Islay has been in operation for over 200 years, I guess they know what they're doing by now.  Their PR will not confirm that leprechauns count among the magical employees but I have my suspicions.

Pineapple of My Eye

 However, it has come to my attention over the years that some gals unfortunately are intimidated or put off by this spirit as they associate it with old boys' clubs, i.e., not-so-safe-spaces for women. This stereotype is certainly based on some degree of truth as many ROWDs (Rich Old White Dudes) who frequent private societies do display a particular predilection for single malts, but as a proud Irish woman I know whiskey is the people's drink!  And, despite what this administration might have you believe, women are people, too. So, this February the 14th gift your female partner in crime a bottle of whiskey.  Laphroaig Select is a terrific for the whiskey newbie due to its subtle sweetness and mild smoky notes.  However, should your inamorata already be a whiskey lover, I recommend indulging in some Laphroaig 10 Year Old. Either way, enjoy the first round neat (Bridey's preferred preparation), then mix up some cocktails, like this terrific one created by Ivy Mix.

Pineapple of My Eye

• 1 & 1/2 parts Laphroaig 10 Year Old

• 1/2 part pineapple rum

• 3/4 part lime juice

• 3/4 part simple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with lime.

Happy National Vodka Day!

Today (October 4th) is National Vodka Day and if you're looking to raise a glass, consider this delicious recipe from Prairie Organic Spirits:

Roasted Grape Bounty

·         2 oz. Prairie Organic Vodka

·         1 oz. grape juice

·         ½ vanilla bean, scraped

·         Vanilla sugar rim

Directions:

1.    Place 2 oz. of Prairie Organic Vodka and 1 oz. of grape juice in a shaker. Mix vigorously.

2.    Pour the mix into a tall glass rimmed with sugar previously.

3.    Top with ice and the vanilla bean

Yellow Rose Whiskey Cocktail: Peachy Keen Punch

Last week, Wyatt and my friend DJ. D (WorldWide Playa) took a terrific tour of the Yellow Rose Distillery, Houston's only whiskey distillery. #drinklocal

You can actually purchase one of the barrels.

Samples were abundant and we even had the opportunity to try a super-proof (but don't call it 'moonshine') white whiskey.

I'll take three of each, please.

Yellow Rose also graciously gifted Bridey with her own bottle, which she has been using purely for research purposes. Most recently, her fieldwork experimentation yielded a novel drink she likes to call,  "Peachy Keen Punch."

The Peachy Keen

Peachy Keen Punch

• 2 ounces Yellow Rose Straight Rye Whiskey 

• 2 ounces peach juice

• 2 ounces Sparkling Ice Strawberry Watermelon

• Strawberry Garnish

Fill a chilled mason jar with 2-3 ice cubes. Add Yellow Rose whiskey and peach juice, then top with Sparkling Ice Strawberry Watermelon. Garnish with strawberry slice. Sip as the sun goes down.

Like other stone fruit, peaches provide an even sweetness that wonderfully complements the rougher smoky undertones of the whiskey.  Berry-flavored bubbles add effervescence as well as a more piquant sugary note, making for a punch that pulls a softer punch.

Prairie Organic Spirits

I first learned about Prairie Organic Spirits at the 2015 Tales of the Cocktail, where they won me over with their colorful garden-inspired displays and friendly mixologists. Also, they were giving out free muddlers!

Prairie Organic at Tales of the Cocktail

Prairie Organic specializes in small-batch, organic (duh) clear alcohols (gin, vodka, etc.), whose uniformly pure taste makes them scarily sippable and wonderful ingredients for cocktails.

I'll take two!

Recently, POS and I had another rendezvous in preparation for the Austin Food & Wine Festival (later cancelled) and they were generous enough to provide me with a sample of their Cucumber Vodka for some home experimentation.

Thus far my research has yielded two more-than-quaffable creations:

Blackberry Ginger Cucumber Highball (pictured above)

• 1 1/2 ounces Prairie Organic Cucumber Vodka
• 3 ounces ginger ale
• blackberries for garnish

Pour vodka and ginger ale into a chilled glass. Garnish with blackberries, which are best consumed after you have finished your drink so they have time to absorb the boozy juices.

C.G.C (Cherry-Grape-Cucumber) Martini

• 1 1/2 ounces Prairie Organic Cucumber Vodka
• 2 ounces 100% pure grape juice
• fresh cherries

Pit approximately 4-5 cherries. Muddle at the bottom of a shaker; add grape juice, vodka, and ice. Shake vigorously, and strained into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fresh cherry.

The Blackberry Ginger Highball's slightly spicy notes are mellowed out by the cucumber and I love the way the errant blackberries add the occasional punch of sweetness. Harder-hitting albeit just as refreshing is the C.G.C Martini, whose berry overtones almost mask the alcohol...which is why, 'whoopsy-daisy, did I just drink two in under 45 minutes?'

Mixology Math: BAI + Effen Vodka = Early Summer Bliss

If there were a formal term for someone exceptionally well-versed in the world of zero- or low-calorie beverages (akin to sommelier for wine), I would hold that title.  In fact, and again I write this with utmost humility, I might be among the world's best.  For indeed I challenge you to find someone else who has spent as much time as I have surveying, evaluating, and testing artificially-sweetened libations.

Yes, my parents are very proud.

EFFEN Vodka is available at Spec's and most other liquor stores

Since I associate BAI with post-workout refreshment, I hadn't considered using it as a mixer (sorry, folks, my recovery hydration drink ain't booze); however, when  learned that EFFEN Vodka teamed up with BAI to create a line of low-calorie cocktails for the Tribeca Film Festival and Coachella, the wheels started turning. Here is my first creation:

Thyme Is On My Side Sparkler

• 1 ounce sparkling water
• 2 ounces EFFEN Vodka
• 3 ounces BAI Sulawesi Limon
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Pour sparkling water into a chilled glass with 1 spring thyme. Muddle until thyme infuses water; strain out leaves. Add vodka and top with BAI. Garnish with sprig of fresh thyme.

Thyme Is On My Side is airy, crisp, and boasts salient botanical notes that balance well with the mild citrus flavor of the BAI.  Sip slowly and pair with grapes, cheese, and crackers.

Another great BAI cocktail that makes wonderful use fresh herbs, though one not created by me, is the Pretty In Pink.

Attractive drink. Gorgeous hardwood table.

Pretty In Pink

• 3 ounces Bai Bubbles Gimbi Pink Grapefruit
• 3 ounces champagne
• Fresh sage

Pour ice-cold champagne into a chilled flute. Top with BAI and garnish with sage leaves. Drink while gossiping with your manicurist.

Cruzan + Creativity = Great Concoctions

When it comes to rum, I am conservative and rather picky. I prefer dark, moderately sweet varieties for my Dark & Stormy's and high quality strong monotone whites for mojitos. For this reason, I was initially reluctant to agree to review Cruzan's fruit-flavored white rums. 

Not that I have anything against Cruzan, as I cannot bestow enough accolades on their terrific aged dark rum and their innovative black strap rum, whose licorice notes are just tantalizing, and incidentally, which makes for a mean rum and coke. And truth be told a ways back I tried (and liked) their blueberry lemonade rum.

My invention: Cruzan Skinny Orange Strawberry Fields Forever

But fruit-flavored spirits in general tend to be saccharine and over-the-top in terms of their taste profiles and more often than not don't come off as particularly natural.  The mango and orange (and yes, they do taste different) Cruzan white rums seem to be the exception, perhaps because they are lower in alcohol content and more subtle in their botanical flavors. Sipping either straight up is pleasurable, and not, as in the case of some other brands who shall not be named, like quaffing hastily made prison hooch from purloined generic juice.

I recreated the Cruzan Carpe Diem, though with a blood orange twist, and it was light and refreshing. I am still in the process of experimenting with some of the other flavors, but so far my 'research' has yielded a nice concoction I call the "Cruzan Skinny Orange Strawberry Fields Forever." (Btw, probably about time I got off my high horse about being 'natural' as I used HEB soda because I was in a pinch.) Here's the recipe: 

Cruzan® Skinny Strawberry Fields Forever

Ingredients: 

1½ parts Cruzan® Orange Rum,

3 parts light or diet strawberry soda (I recommend Zevia)

Garnish: Fresh strawberry
 

Method: Pour rum and strawberry soda into a chilled glass filled with ice. Stir to combine and garnish with a strawberry. 

I will keep you posted on additional possibilities for cocktails...and there are many.

H Factor "Hydrogen Rich" Water

It was brought to my attention recently that apparently infusing regular water with more hydrogen makes it a super recovery drink for endurance athletes.

Now, you folks at home may not know that Bridey O'Leary has done a few marathons in her day and is still a regular fixture at her local gym. 

I was thus highly intrigued by the idea that I could recharge even better after my regular two-hour cardio sessions by consuming extra H atoms. (Btw, the college chemistry major in me initially wondered, albeit foolishly, if adding more hydrogen to water could somehow trigger the formation of hydrogen peroxide, but, nah, it's far more complicated. Thank God, 'cause you imagine guzzling down 12 ounces of disinfectant following an intense stairmaster experience?).

Following an eight-mile run in Austin, Texas this past weekend, I was sweating buckets and rehydrated with two chilled packets of H Factor, which, btw, is not sold in bottles as they cause H leakage. (Promotional material for this product  touts the aluminum packaging, designed to minimize the escape of hydrogen, as a special feature.)  Another 20 ounces of Vitamin Water Zero and 30 minutes later, I felt great. Unusually great? Yes, actually.  Although I almost always have a spring in my step after a longish run (ironically), that day I also felt highly optimistic as well as energetic. 

Was the extra hydrogen really responsible for my surfeit of physical and emotional spirit? Or was it just the placebo effect? Who cares, it worked.

Disclosure: Samples provided; opinions are my own.